1. Field
The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more specifically to encoding information and decoding information.
2. Background
Many modern digital communication systems use error-correcting codes (ECCs) to improve performance gains. An ECC encoder encodes a block of k message bits into a block of n code bits (where n>k) to transmit. The number of k message bits transmitted per n code bits is known as the “code rate,” which is expressed as r=k/n. The code rate determines the efficiency of a coding scheme. The maximum achievable (largest) code rate that allows messages to be reliably transmitted across a particular noisy communication channel is known as the “channel capacity.”
A plurality of information bits may be grouped together to form symbols or packets, which may be processed and transmitted across a channel.